Reconciliation
by Nera Black
Summary: It has been two years since Raven died, and one since Robin and Starfire were married. With things going haywire everywhere they turn, can the Teen Titans ever reconcile their past hurts and move on? BB-T R-R R-SF
1. The Anniversary

_Alrighty then...I've changed the format, becuase I decided I didn't like the short chapters. If you don't know what I'm talking about...don't worry! _

_Anyways...no flames, because they suck, and I don't think you want my band of pigmey shrews and munchkins to beat up on you!_

_Love ya all, and enjoy reading the updated version of:_

**_Reconciliation_**

**_Chapter One_**

_Sleep is a reconciling_

_A rest that peace begets_

_Doth not the sun rise smiling_

_When at e'ven she lay?_

_Rest you then,_

_Rest sad eyes,_

_Melt not in weeping,_

_While she lies sleeping!_

_Softly softly, now softly_

_Softly lies sleeping…_

It was the anniversary of their second year of marriage. Candles lit the entire room, and gentle music played in the background. The single window had been opened to let in a cool evening breeze, and the sound of gulls could be heard in the distance. Garfield and Terra, recently engaged themselves, had made sure everything was perfect; but then…things never were absolutely perfect in Titan Tower.

In the years after Slade's demise, Raven had grown more and more out of control. Her powers had reached their peak; and she was thrown into her own private hell; the world which had been prophesied that she would destroy, had been her own.

The Titans had never really gotten over their friend's death. They had tried to move on, but without Raven's morbid yet stabilizing personality, things fell apart. Unable to cope with the changes, Cyborg had left to seek his own personal career, and Robin had sought solace in the budding relationship that had grown between him and Starfire. He could never feel as deeply for Star as he had for Raven, but he loved her all the same. They were married one year to the day after Raven's death.

"Oh Robin, it is so beautiful!" Star remarked as she allowed herself to be led into their room, which Terra and Garfield had labored over all afternoon, allowing Robin some time to pick up a few gifts for his wife.

"I thought you might like it." Robin replied softly, his hand clasped around Star's as he led her to the candle lit table. They sat wordlessly, staring contentedly at eachother. Enjoying the peaceful evening, they at in silence for several minutes.

"It is so quiet…" Star whispered, not quite sure how to explain what she felt. Robin nodded in understanding.

"Things have changed since we were kids." He lay his hand on hers. "Garfield grew up at last, Cyborg found his forte and…" He broke off suddenly, tears coming to his eyes as he remembered Raven's face as she lay dying. Robin had been the only one to see her in those last hours…he was the only one who could get near her. The others had only seen her ravings…her insanity…not the few moments of peace that graced her face before she died.

Robin closed his eyes in remembrance, pulling back his hand.

"Perhaps you still think of others before your wife…?" Star said rather bluntly, never able to understand how Robin could have been so touched by Raven's insanity. The last time the two girls had seen each other, they had not parted well. Now even with her friend dead, Star continued to hold her in contempt, unforgiving of the past grievances.

"You don't understand Star." Robin tried to say it gently, but his voice cracked and he had to choke back a sob. "You didn't see her…you…didn't…"

Robin turned away, unable to face his wife. She would never understand. How could she? The bond he had shared with Raven was so completely different from that of him and Starfire. Star was loving and kind, but had not the depth of mind or spirit that Raven had. And today, the anniversary of both his marriage and Raven's death, was a very difficult day for him.

They had chosen this day in hopes of replacing a sad memory with a happy one; a way to ease the pain. But instead it had become the worst day of the year for Robin. A day to be hated and feared, despite the love he felt for Starfire.

"I am sorry, Richard." Starfire said softly, unable to see her beloved in pain. She stood from her chair and kneeled in front of Robin, wiping his tears and hugging him tightly.

Robin returned the embrace half-heartedly, regaining his composure and forcing those unwanted emotions deep within himself, in a tiny untouched place within his soul, a portion of his heart which Starfire had never and would never see.

* * *

Beast Boy and Terra were sprawled lazily in front of the TV, munching on leftovers as Beast Boy flipped the channels absentmindedly.

"Garfield," Terra said softly, lying her golden head on his chest as she pushed aside her re-heated pizza.

"What is it?" He returned concernedly.

"I'm worried. About Robin. He seems to be taking R-ra…um…his anniversary harder than ever this year."

Beast Boy sighed and set down the remote, sliding his arm comfortingly around Terra's waist. "I know." He said, resting his head on the top of hers and muting the TV.

"Things just aren't the same without her. Or Cy for that matter." Beast Boy said in a melancholy voice. "No matter how much we pretend things are ok…"

"They aren't." Terra finished. "At least for Robin." Garfield nodded in agreement, pushing aside his own feelings about Raven's death.

They lay comfortably together for awhile, Terra breathing in the warm aroma that came from Beast Boy's green fur. It was a nice smell; a scent she had always associated with reassurance and peace. Beast Boy stroked the golden head that he loved so dearly, his feelings for Raven lessened somewhat by the fact that he could share them with Terra.

"You…you loved her once, didn't you?" Terra asked in a small voice. Garfield smiled; she had obviously had this on her mind for awhile.

"Yes." He replied simply. "But never as much as I love you. She didn't fill a void in me like you do." He ran a finger softly down her cheek and neck, feeling her tremble beneath his touch.

"She and Robin…they were meant to be." Terra said softly, and their unspoken agreement of this fact echoed louder than any words could have. They both had known it, from the moment of Raven's death, to the moment when Star and Robin had both said 'I do'". It didn't seem quite right…they just didn't fit together. Robin loved her of course, but there had been something more with Raven; some deeper bond that Star could never provide.

"But I suppose he'll be happy." Terra added, moving closer to Beast Boy's warm body. She sighed in satisfied bliss as his soft hands caressed her, brushing away all of her worries and grief.


	2. Rebirth

**_Reconciliation_**

**_Chapter Two_**

****

**_Prelude_**

****

Raven was alive. Her body was utterly unrecognizable, her mind far from what it once was. But within the confines of an ebony feathered bird, she survived.

The final hours of her insanity had destroyed her body, fulfilling the prophecy. But a different power besides that that overtook her had given her spirit wings; a dying prayer of her own mother kept her from complete destruction.

She had been reincarnated on the one year anniversary of her death, her spirit having recuperated from its trials. Only now, two years after she had died in Titan's Tower, was her mind beginning to remember itself. She could not speak, nor even see the words in her head which her emotions so desperately wanted to use. And yet she could see images of her past life; a handsome young boy poised over her bed as she lay dying, a green faced joker who annoyed her to no end, a blonde traitor turned friend, an alien with no understanding of her powers, and a rambunctious half man, half robot. No words came to her animalistic mind, but her spirit remembered. Raven was alive.

* * *

Starfire stared at Robin in surprise, her eyes wide. "W-what did you say?" She asked in disbelief.

Robin looked uncomfortable. "I…I…I love you, Star. I just…I don't know how to do this. I can't live like this; trying to pretend Raven was never there. She was an important part of me. Of all of us."

Tears came to Starfire's eyes. "Then you want a divorce?" She tried to sound cold, but came across more like a frightened child.

"No. I just need some time to think. You have to understand, Star. She…she was my best friend." He trailed off into silence, avoiding Starfire's confused gaze.

"Then…I will go to Tamaran." She said tonelessly, masking her emotions. "And you will…go and think."

Robin shifted uneasily in his seat. Why had he suggested this? Didn't most marriages end this way? He didn't really know. All he knew for certain was that Raven was dead, and he needed to understand why he still felt this overwhelming grief. He was never…in love with Raven. He loved her deeply, but not to the point of infatuation; the way that Starfire felt about him. Raven had been a balance in his life, something he needed now more than ever.

"I'm sorry star. But if I don't do this…if I don't try and set things straight…" He shuddered. "They never will be."

Star nodded curtly. "Of course. I will leave tomorrow, and return in one year."

Robin felt his jaw drop. "A year? Star…I didn't mean-"

"Yes, but I did. I also need to think." Without another word, she stood from the table, and climbed in the bed they shared. Feeling sick to his stomach, his mind racing, Robin did the same. The two slept back to back that night, as far away from eachother as they could.

* * *

The next morning Starfire was gone before Robin had woken. He opened his clear blue eyes to the sound of silence, and realized with a sudden pang that she was really gone. _Now I've lost both of them._ He thought sadly, but shook himself. He couldn't look at it like that; he and Star simply needed some time to recuperate. They had jumped into marriage far too soon after Raven's death, and now they needed to allow their emotional wounds to heal, as they should have two years. Ago.

Feeling dead inside, Robin stared sadly at the imprint of Starfire's body and head on her side of the bed. In disbelief that she was really gone, he lay his own brown head on her pillow, taking in her aroma; feeling the still warm sheets she had apparently only just vacated before he awoke.

There was no doubt she was gone, for her suitcase was missing, along with most of her clothes and a few other things, including a picture taken of the Titans not long before Raven had died. The gifts Robin had bought for her lay untouched by the door, a painful reminder of the anger she showed him the night before.

"It's all your fault." He hissed angrily at himself, leaping out of bed. There was no point in wallowing in his misery. He had things to do.

Throwing on whatever was clean, and not bothering to look in the mirror, Robin set off down the hall towards Raven's room, a new determination filling his soul. He had not entered her room since the day of her death. If reconciliation of his grief was to be found anywhere, it was there.

Robin stopped abruptly before the door. Something held him back suddenly, and he wondered if this truly was a good idea…

"You don't have a choice." He told himself. "You have to." And, half convinced, he turned the knob and walked into Raven's room.

He almost expected to hear her familiar voice calling out in exasperation to "Get out of my room!" or "Close the door!" But there was no sound besides that of his own shaky breath.

Something crunched under his foot. It was Raven's meditation mirror, broken only days before her demise. Robin brushed aside the broken glass with his foot and walked on. The curtains, eternally drawn when she had been alive, had come loose and begun to let in a little bit of light. The small stream of morning sun seemed to Robin a cruel intruder, revealing Raven's lair as simply another room in the Tower. No mystery remained in the once darkened walls, no intoxicating smell of incense. Just the remains of what was once the sanctuary of an enigmatic girl; the darkest of the Titans, and Robin's closest friend, now lost forever. The disheveled young man sank to his knees in grief and wept.


	3. Rift

Hello everyone! Terribly sorry this took so long. You see, I had another chapter half written and my compy crashed. So, after much laziness I've decided to continue writing Reconciliation, because I think there's a lot of potential.

As far as Raven's transformation, I promise she will be more in character later on. It's just a matter of time before she starts actually having true human thoughts and everything. Also, I _promise_ that as the story grows and the 'plot thickens', that the chapters will be longer and detailed, with lots of surprises and goodies packed in just for your delight!

Enjoy!

* * *

**_Reconciliation_**

**_Chapter Three_**

Terra knew something was wrong. She lay for a moment in the middleverse between sleep and consciousness, trying to catch the strands of fading dreams which had awoken her. She felt anger, not towards her…

The sound of a door opening startled her completely awake. Grasping her bearings, Terra realized she and Beast Boy had fallen asleep on the floor. Standing, she pulled off the remnants of left over pizza which had become attached to her clothing during the night, and looked for the source of the noise.

Star was standing in the door way of Titan Tower, suitcase in hand. For a moment Terra didn't understand the melancholy look on the Tamaranian's face, but like a whirlwind reality hit her.

"Star?" She asked, worry filling her voice. Beside her leg, Beast Boy mumbled something and turned over in his sleep. Not wanting to wake him, Terra approached Star Fire, worry in her blue eyes. As she drew closer, Terra could see crystalline tears streaming down her friend's face.

"Star Fire…what's wrong?"

For a moment it seemed sorrowful alien would burst into torrential sobbing, such was the pain in her lovely eyes. But the emotion was fleeting, and abruptly Star Fire closed her eyes and raised her chin in a gesture of cold indifference, though the tears remained.

"Nothing is the matter. Robin and I have decided to…" She opened her eyes and with added sarcasm Terra did not understand, spoke the last word of her sentence. "_Think."_

Before Terra could ask questions, Star had left Titan's Tower.

For a few startled moments the blonde Titan merely stood there, aghast. What could have happened that would tear Star from Robin's side? The two had shown no sign of wanting a divorce, or even a separation.

_You know the answer to that._ Spoke a sober voice deep inside of her. And she did.

"Raven."

The word hung in the air, as cold and emotionless as Star Fire had attempted to be as she left the Titans several minutes before…

_Left the Titans._

Terra snapped to her senses, forcing away the shock of Star's abrupt departure, and entered into a state of sheer panic.

"Garfield!" She cried, running to wake her sleeping lover. "Wake up! Wake up! Star's gone, she left!"

Beast Boy rubbed his eyes, not understanding in his sleep laden mind what Terra was so frantically trying to tell him.

"Wha-? What're you…ew gross! I slept on pizza." Beast Boy grimaced as he pulled the remnants of his own re-microwaved dinner from his clothes.

Terra rolled her eyes in frustration and forced him to stand up, hoping to shake him awake. Once he was standing on his own two feet, she grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"Star Fire left."

The sound of a roaring engine told them that the fiery alien had, indeed, gone.

Beast Boy came completely awake, his eyes wide with fear. "She's gone? But…we have to go after her!"

At that moment, there was a cry from somewhere above them. Terra paled and eyed Beast Boy fearfully.

"Robin."

* * *

**_Raven soared over the diamond studded glory of a lake, heading towards the gigantic shining structure at the far edge. An odd feeling had been growing within her recently. An emotion she associated with the image of that handsome human boy…she wasn't sure what it was, but she knew she had to reach that monstrous mountain that loomed ahead. As she flew, she noticed another creature coming swiftly towards her. For a moment she considered turning back and coming later, but…no. This creature did not have the feel of a predator. In truth…it didn't really seem alive at all. Raven watched it warily as she continued determinedly forward. It was large, and now that she was beginning to see it clearly, she could see it wasn't actually heading directly for her. It was going upwards, further up to the sky. As she watched the strange creature-object fly towards the sun, she noted a swift feeling of familiarity with the thing. Something seemed to jump inside her with a pang she couldn't interpret. It was unlike the simple emotions she typically felt; hunger, thirst, fear. This had an oddness about it. As she passed beneath the craft, now shining brightly from the power of the sun, Raven heard a word like the ones humans used in her mind. She couldn't quite understand it, but somehow she knew it had to do with that odd familiar feeling. The word was "Regret." She flew on._**

* * *

So? What do you think? I REALLY would like some reviews, just to let me know if anyone's actually reading it...sniff

I'm also quite open to any suggestions. I have the basic idea of what's going to happen, but I'd love to hear other people's input. Should there be more BB/Terra stuff? And what would you like to see happen with Star? Just tell me in your review, or email me at .


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